News reports from this week and last indicate that the iPad will soon be enriched with a variety of television programming content. The latest report comes from Bloomberg this past Tuesday, indicating that Apple is close to brokering deals that will bring $.99 television shows from several networks including Fox, CBS and ABC to the iTunes Store. The $.99 will reportedly be for a rental of the shows, not a full purchase. The deal with News Corp. (Fox) is said to include 48-hour rentals.
Hulu recently announced that it will launch a paid subscription service called Hulu Plus. The service, which bears a cost of $10/month, brings more content and more flexibility to Hulu users. In addition to getting an upgrade to full seasons of a myriad of popular television shows, Hulu Plus moves Hulu off the Web browser and into other places like the living room and daily commute.
Hulu announced this week that it will be launching a paid version of its popular site called Hulu Plus. Before you get upset at the loss of free content, Hulu Plus is complementary to Hulu’s free website, and is not designed to replace it. So you’ll still be able to enjoy the free content that you’ve come to expect on Hulu, but will now have the option of accessing more content via Hulu Plus.
The great thing about Blu-ray players with built-in media streaming capabilities is that they’re much less expensive than new televisions and are multi-functional devices that will eliminate the need for a separate dedicated set-top box. Media streaming has become a common featuree of Blu-ray players and can be found in a range of devices.
Microsoft will be announcing a partnership with Hulu, that lovable video site that allows you to watch all your favorite shows and clips whenever you want over the Internet. Microsoft seems to think that Xbox users might enjoy watching Hulu content on an actual TV, rather than hunched over their notebooks.
When you’re on the go, the lightest, cleanest headphone is usually the best option for listening. After all, your MP3 player isn’t exactly hi-fi, so there’s not much to lose. At home, however, if you want to get the most out of your stereo equipment, you had better ditch the $10 earbuds for something with a little more substance. Here’s a few pairs of over-the-ear headphones that will get the job done.
If you’re shopping for a new TV, you can save some time and space and purchase a TV with built-in media streaming capabilities. More and more TVs are incorporating this type of technology, and it’s fast becoming a feature as standard as the remote control.
We’ve been looking at a lot of media streaming devices lately and Google just shook up the world with a new type of system. With it, Google could change the way we view television and Internet content. Called simply Google TV, the new system is being developed by a powerhouse alliance between some of the biggest names in technology. In addition to Google, Intel, Sony and Logitech are involved with the project.
In March, the New York Times reported that Google, Intel and Sony were working on joint technology that would produce Google TVs and set-top boxes based upon Google’s Android operating system. The idea was to make televisions and other equipment that leverage Android-style apps in the living room. At the time, there was no release date given, and it appeared that the project was in its infancy.
Since the first, fuzzy, black-and-white boxes found their way into living rooms, television has been an indelible form of everyday entertainment. Cable, satellite dishes, VCRs, video game consoles and DVD players added new options and expanded function to televisions throughout the second half of the 20th century. Now, as we enter the second decade of the 21st century, digital set-top boxes provide new ways to enhance the average TV.
